Accounting and filing system



May 1, 1945. H. wEsfroN Y 2,374,965

ACCOUNTING AND FILING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 2, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 9 n nmfm 4, m may 7 s N5 N 3 .y EW 2, t v n mr A a 4 avaw E .m w.. nu Nmw OM o o www mw?- Hlmm mm U 0 .A

May 1, 1.945.

H am May l, 1945. H. wEsToN ACCOUNTING AND FILING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 2, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR May l, 1945. H. WESTON 2,374,965

ACCOUNTING AND FILING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 2, 1941 4 sheetssheet 4 Patented May 1, 1945 ACCOUNTING AND FILING SYSTEM Herbert Weston, New York, N. Y.; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application August 2, 1941, Serial No. 405,130

8 Claims.

The invention has for its object a cabinet for portable trays from which they may be readily removed and can be conveniently inserted in compact arrangement and which is accessible from any side of the table or other support upon which the cabinet for the portable trays is supported.

The invention also seeks constructions which are practical from the standpoint of ease and practicability of manufacture and convenience and `durability in use.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating various embodiments by which the invention may be realized and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in end elevation showing a portable tray of this invention in which the various features are incorporated, the side walls being shown in open position in full lines and in closed position in broken lines;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the portable tray of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in plan looking from above in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, transverse, sectional view taken in the median plane of the portable tray of Figure 1, the upper portions of the side walls being broken away;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, transversal-sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 5 5 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a view in front elevation showing a cabinet within which a plurality of portable trays are disposed;

Figure '7 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 'l-l of Figure 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the cabinet of Figure 6 looking from above and with one of the portable trays of this invention partly removed therefrom;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary, sectional View taken in the plane indicated by the line 9-9 of Figure 8, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing details of construction of the side walls of the portable trays;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view in vertical section showing automatically releasable latching devices whereby the pivoted cabinet of Figure 8 is held in selected position;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary view showing a modification of the positioning tracks for the portable trays.

Portable trays or card holders are provided which can be readily carried about without risk of displacement of the cards or of any card or group of cards slipping out from between a pair of separators pressed together in the hands and which cards are furthermore maintained in a separate and distinct group from other and possibly unrelated groups of cards. To this end, a portable tray is provided such as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Such a portable tray comprises a base member having a bottom 8| and side 82 and end members 84 which extend upwardly considerably higher than the side members but have slanting side edges 86 as illustrated in Figure 1. Plvotally mounted on the sides are movable side members 88. These side members are pivotally mounted as by forming a cylindrical portion 90 on the lower edge of the side members and which form one member of a hinged connection with a similarly cylindrical portion of the side member 82 and are held in position by pivot pins 92. The side members are also provided with inwardly directed anges or wings 94 at their front and rear edges which are formed with anarcuate slot 96 and the end members 84 are each provided with pins |00 passing through the respective slots so that the sides may be moved from the full line position indicated in Figure 1 to the dotted line position shown which is the position when the portable tray is to be carried in the hand. In the uppermost portion above the side flanges the walls of the side members are formed with hand holes |02 (Figure 2) which permit the insertion of the fingers so that both wall portions may be engaged by the ngers of one hand and serve as a convenient means of carrying the portable tray from one place to another. The extreme ends of the side walls are provided with upwardly eX- tending tabs |04 which engage with the corresponding tabs on the opposite wall portion so that when the portable tray is to be carried, the two side portions may assume the position shown in broken lines in Figure 1 and afford ample room for the cards carried therein. Ribs |06 may be formed in the sides 88 to add strength to the construction.

Transversely, preferably, of the longer dimension of the portable tray the base member is provided with positioning members 24. These positioning members may conveniently be positioned by rectangular metallic frame members |08 which are formed with slots |09 to receive the positioning members and are secured as by welding or the like to the sides 82 and bottom 8| of the portable tray. Conveniently, also, below these positioning members, the bottom of the tray may be provided with an anti-slipping surface. Thus when it is required to bring a certain group of cards which may be separated one group from another within the same general group, it is merely necessary to take the portable tray as a whole, carrying it by passing the hand through the registering hand holes in the movable wall 9 and bring it to the desired place where the work is to be performed.

Figures 6 through 10 illustrate a cabinet within which a plurality of portable trays may be disposed.

Referring rst to Figure 8, a tabladesk or the like ILlIxin which the top is illustrated as representative of the top of a table or desk, carries mounted thereon a cabinet indicated as a whole at H2 adapted to contain a plurality of portable trays. Conveniently this cabinet is pivoted at the midpoint of the bottom between the end walls 4 and the rear wall ||6 and front wall |46 thereof so as to be, in effect, a turntable. In Figure 7 the table supporting the turnable cabinet is illustrated as having at substantially its midpoint a bolt I |8gn which is rotatably mounted a sleeve |`h`eld'n position by the head above the nut |22 below the table l0. A cylindrical bearing member |23 is carried in the bottom of the turn-table to rest over the sleeve |20 on the bolt ||8. The bolt ||8 passes through a disc-like plate |24 which is formed with two concentric rows of recesses |26. Ball bearings |28 received in the recesses |26 in the base member |24 extend above the top thereof on which the cabinet turns and its ends are supported.

The length of the turnable cabinet is sufficient to receive a plurality of portable trays in parallel arrangement and of a width suicient to receive the portable trays transversely. To maintain the cabinet in registering position with the table on which it rests, latching devices are provided, one at each end of the surface H0. In the illustrated embodiment such latching devices are formed in the following manner: In the top surface of the table or support ||0 are formed two diametrically disposed apertures |30, Figure 10, in the median line of the table in its longest direction which receive cylindrical cup-shaped members |32 in each of which is disposed a spring |34 pressing a ball |36 upwardly, the ball |36 being prevented from leaving the member |32 by inwardly directed edges |38 of the apertures such that substantially slightly less than half of the ball extends above the plane of the table. In the bottom |52 of the rotatable cabinet at the opposite ends thereof are catches |40 illustrated as formed of a sheet or strip of metal convoluted to provide an elongated groove which will register with and receive one of the balls when the longer axis of the rotatable cabinet is in register with the longer axis of the supporting table.

The turnable cabinet member is provided with end walls 4 which are fixed in position and a rear wall 6 similarly xed, while the front wall |46 is pivoted as at |48 on a downwardly offset portion |50 of the bottom |52 so that it can be moved down in to the plane of the bottom of the rotatable cabinet to permit the portable trays to be drawn outwardly in a horizontal direction and thus avoid the necessity of lifting the portable tray out of a box-like cabinet. In Figure 7, one such portable tray is shown withdrawn from the rotatable cabinet.

The turntable cabinet is provided with a cover |54 which permits the same to be raised so that access may be had to the cards in the portable trays therewithin.

The rotatable cabinet is adapted to receive a plurality of portable trays. In the illustrated embodiment, it is shown as receiving six trays. It is provided at each end with an inclined inner surface |56 on the end walls |42 to permit the sides 88 of the portable trays and the cards therein to be shifted from one inclined position through a vertical position to the opposite inclined position in order that an examination may be made of the cards when in position in the cabinet. Similarly, at the center of the rotatable cabinet, that is, midway between the ends thereof a partition |58 is provided having inclined walls |56 against which the movable walls of the portable trays may rest to likewise facilitate the shifting of the cards While in the cabinet.

It will be observed that the side walls 88 of the portable trays are capable of a movement through an angle of about 30 on each side of the vertical plane including the side walls 82 of the trays. This is made possible by the type of hinge connection illustrated and by the predetermined length and relation of the slots 96. Furthermore, by placing the hinge connections inwardly of the plane of the walls, close positioning of the trays is possible but adjacent trays are not required to afford support for the sides of one another. To prevent one tray side resting on the adjacent tray side and to guide the trays in and out of the cabinet, tracks are provided taking the form of angles |60 extending transversely of the cabinet. These angles |60 are arranged back to back (Figure 9) on the bottom so that the trays are supported on the horizontal portions 6| thereof. The free edges of the vertical sides of the angles are bent away from one another, as at |62, as stops for the adjacent sides 88, as shown, so that proximate movable sides of adjacent trays are always in spaced relation and one tray can be readily pulled out of the cabinet Without obstruction offered by the adjacent trays. In Figure 7, the positioning tracks |60 are shown as having an inclined front edge, as at |64, between which the end of a portable tray is inserted in order to guide it into the space between the tracks. In Figure l1, the tracks |60 extend forwardly, as at |66, to what may be considered the front or open side of the cabinet and the upper edge |68 thereof merges, as at |61, with the inturned edge |62 at about the midpoint to facilitate the portable tray entering and being removed from the cabinet.

The purpose and operation of the several features of the invention have been described in conjunction with the description of the structure of the several parts. Sui-lice it to say that card index cabinets have been described and illustrated meeting every requirement of business.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art in the composition, configuration and disposition of the component elements going to make up the invention as a whole as well as the selection and combination of particular features to satisfy specific situations and no limitation is intended by the phraseology of the foregoing description or illustrations in the annexed drawings except as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a card register, the combination of a cabinet having a front wall movable into the plane of the bottom thereof, mellor the cabinet and a plurality of portable trays for indexing cards comprising pivotally mounted movable side walls and being disposed in parallel relationship in the cabinet and removable through the opening formed when the front wall is in the plane of the bottom and guide flange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned, said guide flange means being form ed with diverging upper edges to overlie the pivotal mounting of the movable side walls of the portable trays to space adjacent side walls of the trays and retain the trays against tipping, the curved edges of said guide flanges terminating intermediate the front and rear walls of the cabinet and the remaining portions of the flanges being progressively reduced in height to facilitate insertion and removal of the trays through the opening in the front wall.

2. In a card register, the combination of a cabinet having a front -wall movable into the plane of the bottom thereof, a removable cover for the cabinet, a plurality of portable trays, said portable trays having pivotally mounted side walls and being disposed side by side with their longer axis transversely of the movable front wall to be slidable through the opening formed when the front wall is in the plane of the bottom and guide flange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned, said guide flange means comprising closely positioned parallel angles whereof proximate flanges are vertical and the respective upper edges of which are turned away from one another to overlie the pivotal mounting of the side walls and form stops and space the side walls of the trays and retain the trays against tipping.

3. In a card register, in combination, a cabinet having a front wall movable into the plane of the bottom of the cabinet, a movable cover for the cabinet, a plurality of portable trays each comprising an elongated rectangular bottom having substantially vertical sides, movable side walls and hinge connections between the movable side walls and the vertical side walls of the bottom, said trays being disposed side by side with their longer axes transversely of the movable front wall to be slidable through the opening formed when the front wall is in the plane of the bottom, the inner sides of the end walls of the cabinet being inclined upwardly and outwardly as supports for the movable side walls of the trays, a partition having inclined side walls against which the adjacent movable side walls of the trays may rest, and guide flange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned, said guide flange means engaging the sides of the trays below the hinge connections to afford freedom of movement of the side walls when the trays are positioned in the cabinet, said hinge connection being disposed inwardly of the side walls of the trays, said guide flange means having inturned edges as stops for the adjacent movable sides limiting outward movement thereof to a predetermined angle.

4. In a card register, in combination, a cabinet having a front wall movable into the plane of the bottom of the cabinet, a movable cover for the cabinet, a plurality of portable trays each comprising an elongated rectangular bottom having substantially vertical sides, movable side walls and hinge connections between the movable side walls and the vertical side Walls of the bottom, said trays being disposed side by side with their longer axes transversely of the movable front wall to berslidable through the opening formed when the front Wall is in the plane of the bottom, the inner sides of the end walls of the cabinet being inclined upwardly and outwardly as supports for the movable side walls of the trays, a partition having inclined side walls against which the adjacent movable side walls of the trays may rest, and guide ilange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned, said guide flange means engaging the sides of the trays below the hinge connections to afford freedom of movement of the side walls when the trays are positioned in the cabinet, said hinge connection being disposed inwardly of the side walls of the trays, said guide flange means having an inclined front edge to facilitate guiding the trays into the spaces between the tracks.

5. In a card register, in combination, a cabinet having a front wall movable into the plane of the bottom of the cabinet, a movable cover for the cabinet, a rplurality of portable trays each comprising an elongated rectangular bottom having substantially vertical sides, movable side walls and hinge connections between the movable side walls and the vertical side walls of the bottom, said trays being disposed side by side with their longer axes transversely of the movable front wall to be slidable through the opening formed when the front wall is in the plane of the bottom, the inner sides of the end walls of the cabinet being inclined upwardly and outwardly as a support for the movable side walls of the trays, a partition having inclined side walls against which the adjacent movable side walls of the trays may rest, and guide flange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned, said guide flange means engaging the sides of the trays below the hinge connections to afford freedom of movement of the side walls when the trays are positioned in the cabinet.

6. In a card register, in combination, a cabinet having a front wall movable into the plane of the bottom of the cabinet, a movable cover for the cabinet, a plurality of portable trays each comprising an elongated rectangular bottom having substantially vertical sides, movable side walls and hinge connections between the movable side walls and the vertical side walls of the bottom, said trays being disposed side by side with their longer axes transversely of the movable front wall to be slidable through the opening formed when the front wall is in the yplane of the bottom, a partition having inclined side walls `against which the adjacent movable side walls of fthe trays may rest, and guide flange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned, and of a height to afford freedom of movement of the side walls when the trays are positioned in the cabinet.

7. In a card register, in combination, a cabinet, a plurality of portable trays each comprising an elongated rectangular bottom having substantially vertical sides, movable side walls and hinge connections between the vertical sides of the bottom and the movable side walls, said trays being disposed side by side with their longer axes transversely of the front to be slidable therethrough, and guide flange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned and so proportioned as to afford freedom` of movement of the side walls when the trays are positioned in the cabinet, said guide flange means comprising closely positioned parallel angles whereof proximate flanges are vertical and the respective upper edges of which are turned away irom one another to overiie the pivotal mounting of the side walls and form stops and space the side walls of the trays and retain the trays against tipping.

8. In a card register, in combination, a cabinet formed with an opening in the front thereof, a movable front wall adapted to close the said opening, a plurality of portable trays each comprising an elongated rectangular bottom having substantially vertical sides, movable side walls and hinge connections between the vertical sides of the bottom and the movable side Walls, said trays being disposed side by side with their longer axes transversely of the front Wall to be slidable through said opening, and guide ange means on the bottom of the cabinet between which the trays are positioned and so proportioned as to afford freedom of movement of the side walls when the trays are positioned in the cabinet, said guide flange means being formed with diverging upper edges to overlie the hinge connection of the movable side walls of the portable trays to space adjacent side walls of the trays and retain the trays against tipping, the curved edges of said guide flanges terminating intermediate the front and rear Walls of the cabinet and the remaining portions of the anges being progressively reduced in height to facilitate insertion and removal of the trays through the opening in the front of the cabinet.

HERBERT WESTON. 

